An official looking at the window from which Oum Chhay allegedly jumped from (Photo: Koh Santepheap newspaper)
The alleged body of Oum Chhay is seen below the balcony where he allegedly jumped from; Inset a photo of Oum Chhay (Photo: Koh Santepheap newspaper)August 22, 2007
Mystery surrounds suicide of key drugs suspect of Cambodia
Chhay Chhay Investment owner Oum Chhay, also president of Banteay Meanchey Provincial Chamber of Commerce, allegedly committed suicide on Tuesday at Ministry of Interior's anti-drug department following his arrest on Aug. 15 on drug charges, which on Wednesday triggered off various reports and speculations on local newspapers.
Oum Chhay, 51, also advisor for National Assembly President Heng Samrin, committed suicide at about 06:00 a.m. by throwing himself through a nine-meter-high window from the building of the ministry's anti-drug department, where he was detained for his alleged involvement in a narcotics production laboratory in Kompong Speu province, reported Cambodian-language newspaper the Sralanh Khmer.
However, according to other Cambodian-language newspapers the Monesekar Khmer and the Rasmei Kampuchea, the window is only from four to five meters high, which has prompted observers to think that the height is not enough to kill the prominent business man.
Police said that Oum Chhay leapt from the building after seeking permission to use the toilet from police guarding him, according to Cambodian-language newspaper the Khmer Machas Srok.
Journalists complained immediately as they were given access to information or the body to independently confirm Oum Chhay's cause of death, said the Moneakseakar Khmer.
Amid tightened security, the body of Oum Chhay was sent to the Monivong Hospital at 09:00 a.m. for diagnosis, with the postmortem showing he died from a cracked skull as a result of falling head-first from the window, said the Khmer Machas Srok.
An official from the department who spoke on the condition of anonymity claimed that Oum Chhay's wife seemed not to believe her husband had decided to kill himself, though she failed to elaborate, said the Moneaksekar Khmer.
However, Interior Ministry Spokesman Khieu Sopheak confirmed that committing suicide was the sole reason behind the death, adding that officials who examined the body of the late businessman can clarify the issue, said the Rasmei Kampuchea.
"(Oum Chhay) jumped from the first floor - like diving - and his head went down first. We fell very bad about his death," English-language newspaper the Cambodian Daily quoted Khieu Sopheak as saying.
Oum Chhay's has been given to his relatives to arrange a funeral.
Heng Samrin left for Malaysia on Sunday to attend regional meeting and will return on Wednesday. He had denied any knowledge about Oum Chhay's connection with the case.
Oum Chhay was arrested on Aug. 15 near the border with Thailand, for being allegedly involved in the drug production case in Kompong Speu province, where the Cambodian police staged a raid on April 1 and arrested 18 people.
The chemicals found in the drug lab there were destroyed on Aug. 16. With the materials, over 54 million U.S. dollars worth of drugs could be produced.
In a related development, Chea Cheung, the alleged mastermind of the case, was arrested late on Tuesday in Svay Rieng province near the border with Vietnam and sent to the Phnom Penh Municipal Court for questioning, police officers said on condition of anonymity.
Chea was former adviser for Deputy Prime Minister Nhiek Bun Chhay, but Chhay denied any connection with him.
Source: Xinhua
Oum Chhay, 51, also advisor for National Assembly President Heng Samrin, committed suicide at about 06:00 a.m. by throwing himself through a nine-meter-high window from the building of the ministry's anti-drug department, where he was detained for his alleged involvement in a narcotics production laboratory in Kompong Speu province, reported Cambodian-language newspaper the Sralanh Khmer.
However, according to other Cambodian-language newspapers the Monesekar Khmer and the Rasmei Kampuchea, the window is only from four to five meters high, which has prompted observers to think that the height is not enough to kill the prominent business man.
Police said that Oum Chhay leapt from the building after seeking permission to use the toilet from police guarding him, according to Cambodian-language newspaper the Khmer Machas Srok.
Journalists complained immediately as they were given access to information or the body to independently confirm Oum Chhay's cause of death, said the Moneakseakar Khmer.
Amid tightened security, the body of Oum Chhay was sent to the Monivong Hospital at 09:00 a.m. for diagnosis, with the postmortem showing he died from a cracked skull as a result of falling head-first from the window, said the Khmer Machas Srok.
An official from the department who spoke on the condition of anonymity claimed that Oum Chhay's wife seemed not to believe her husband had decided to kill himself, though she failed to elaborate, said the Moneaksekar Khmer.
However, Interior Ministry Spokesman Khieu Sopheak confirmed that committing suicide was the sole reason behind the death, adding that officials who examined the body of the late businessman can clarify the issue, said the Rasmei Kampuchea.
"(Oum Chhay) jumped from the first floor - like diving - and his head went down first. We fell very bad about his death," English-language newspaper the Cambodian Daily quoted Khieu Sopheak as saying.
Oum Chhay's has been given to his relatives to arrange a funeral.
Heng Samrin left for Malaysia on Sunday to attend regional meeting and will return on Wednesday. He had denied any knowledge about Oum Chhay's connection with the case.
Oum Chhay was arrested on Aug. 15 near the border with Thailand, for being allegedly involved in the drug production case in Kompong Speu province, where the Cambodian police staged a raid on April 1 and arrested 18 people.
The chemicals found in the drug lab there were destroyed on Aug. 16. With the materials, over 54 million U.S. dollars worth of drugs could be produced.
In a related development, Chea Cheung, the alleged mastermind of the case, was arrested late on Tuesday in Svay Rieng province near the border with Vietnam and sent to the Phnom Penh Municipal Court for questioning, police officers said on condition of anonymity.
Chea was former adviser for Deputy Prime Minister Nhiek Bun Chhay, but Chhay denied any connection with him.
Source: Xinhua
12 comments:
Prevention is better than cure. Oum Chhay is a potential embarrassment to Heng Samrin, who is one of the highest ranking members of the ruling party and holding the top title granted by the King.
Dead man cannot talk, so he won't be able to testify in court and implicate Heng Samrin in the drug business. His dead body has been given a tighter security than when he was alive. A 5-metre drop may kill a baby or a small child, but not a grown-up man like him. There are people surviving a higher drop than that when their parachute failed to open.
Both the police officials and the medical officials will collaborate to turn this murder into a suicide. It is a wonderful example of how they change the story to fit the outcome they want. No surprise here!
The man who knew too much. Maybe Hun Sen's brother decided to smash another skull - just to keep in practice.
Dear poster 3:03PM,
I don't think Oum Chhay has a nything to do with Heng sam Rin for this drugs case. Heng Sam Rin is not a man of high ambitious. I think, Oum Chhay'drugs case is relating with Hok Lundy. He may have killed by people of this animal and then being thrown out through window and blamed him for committing suicided. I think time for Hok Lundy to be in the jail is counting down ................
His mafia way of living is going to end soon.
Hahahah. Tsk tsk. Hahahaha. How do i express a sense of humor on the internet? It is sad of this death not appropriate to laugh. But it is funny how this many dies and no one seem to question the picture besides that the height is too low.
Look. if they guy jump he would have lied flat on his BACK like that. That is a perfect back position. Looks like someone just killed him and lied him down. No one jumps from a window and died facing the sky like that!
Ridiculous work you stupid crooks! You are suppose to be professional killers. Look at those rich criminals, even what they do best, they are really the most slopy and incapable!
It smells like a cover up to prevent other high ranking officials from being surface!!! I am telling this government is full of evils underground dealing. It has got to be better to run a country.
Could you all believe that this dead man jumped from the first floor by himself? Could you believe that Cambodia is a country with usual corruption? Whereas the Cambodian peole are living in the poor conduction, why the cambodian policians are very rich?
"(Oum Chhay) jumped from the first floor - like diving - and his head went down first.
If it smells like a cover up, it is a cover up. The level of investigation is merely none. A lot more should be done in term of investigation (but that's in Cambodia). The fractured skull resulting from hit by an object and by the impact to the ground should be determinable. Not only looking into the skull but the neck bone also should be examined due to massive body weight that drop on it when diving head first. Clothing should be preserved, looking for torns that could prove a sign of struggling occurrence before death happened. The entire scene, the room, should be conered off to look for possible murder trail like blood stains, body bruises, footprints, etc..., looking for sign of premeditaded murder. Blood could not splats far from ground to the the balcony or inside the room. Footprints, sole patterns, proves who were there. Crowdiness and overlapping footprints that could prove that struggling occurrence took place in the room. This is a high profile case and it should be done the CSI case. Here it seems like nothing happened. For those officials, if they want to claim inocent they must do this kind of serious investigation otherwise nobody believes them, their credibility is almost none (their boneless tongue can say whatever they want).
Hello the Whole World Audiences!
This is another SHOW of Cambodian Government.
As you can understand from the Killing of Khmer Movies Starts to the Global Witness Reported and now to the 5 meters dropped death.
This is VERY GOOD SHOW from Cambodian Government for 5 month-old-baby, but it is not good at all for any baby who can talk, not even any adult like us.
Please remember that How long will Khmer Government remember this? You will see it’s very soon forgotten.
it looks like someone had thrown him off the first floor to me. He couldn't be that maniac to dive head first to the cement. Ridiculous story!!!
Some of the explanation from the current CPP government is just ridiculous. How can anyone believe such a story, that the man jumped from a low building to comitt suicide.
Just plain corruption.
There are many indications of suspectious about this case. If he jumped out the window, why the window seem not broken? He is a big guy, is it possibility that he leaped through the window and the balcony in one jump? If he only got through the window, he would have injured on the balcony. Thus the guard would have got time to stop him from jumping again to the ground. If he got to the ground, is that how the body would look? I know woods in Cambodia are very strong, I don't think could even made it out to the balcony. My conclusion, it is a killing to keep the information out.
he jumped. he died
Post a Comment